Jonathan Mayo has O's taking Caleb Lomavita, C, California with 1/22

[Jim'sKid26]

"It’s possible the O’s would love for Lomavita to be available with their next pick at 32, but he might not be there, so we’ll give him the edge over the other college hitters still available or pitchers like Cijntje or Iowa’s Brody Brecht."

He also has 

24. Braves: Brody Brecht, RHP, Iowa

26. Yankees: Jurrangelo Cijntje, RHP/LHP, Mississippi State 

https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-pipeline-2024-mock-draft-july-4

Lomavita came out of a St. Louis High School program in Hawaii that produced such big leaguers as Jordan Yamamoto and Brandon League, but didn’t garner much pro attention in his senior season in 2021. He started making a name for himself as a freshman at Cal, then raised his profile with a .979 OPS and 16 homers as a sophomore. Hitting well for two straight summers in the Cape Cod League hasn’t hurt, making him one of the better catching prospects in the class.

Lomavita’s stock has soared as his bat potential has improved. He utilizes an unusual approach and swing mechanics from the right side, with the drop of his back leg to create a launch-oriented swing, but he routinely finds the barrel. He can drive the ball to all fields and really started to tap into his raw power in 2023 as he chased less and recognized spin better. The chase rate did creep back up this spring and Lomavita could use some approach refinement as he is a very aggressive hitter who swings at everything. He runs very well for a catcher and can steal a bag with excellent instincts on the basepaths.

While his athleticism helps him behind the plate, he’s still learning the nuances of receiving. He has plus arm strength, it would easily be a 60 arm from third base, but he’s still learning to shorten his arm stroke and quicken his release behind the plate. He could handle the hot corner or even the outfield if needed, but there’s no reason to think he can’t stick behind the dish and he was appearing to win the Northern California college catcher battle with Stanford’s Malcolm Moore.

Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 55 | Run: 50 | Arm: 55 | Field: 50 | Overall: 50

[forphase1]

While I believe we should take the best player available,  regardless of position, I doubt we take a catcher this high unless he's clearly #1 on our boards at that time. 

[RZNJ]

I admit they know more than I do, but please no.  The good thing is Elias plays this so close to the vest that none of these guys have a clue.  This is the 2nd mock I’ve seen with  Lomavita.  Maybe it was a previous Mayo mock.   Gillen and Brecht seem like the two players mocked to us the most.  Which means absolutely nothing.

[Aristotelian]

Gunnar shoulda dropped that one

[Otter]

16 hours ago, forphase1 said:

While I believe we should take the best player available,  regardless of position, I doubt we take a catcher this high unless he's clearly #1 on our boards at that time. 

Agreed.  Unlike football and basketball, in baseball the 1st round usually should be BPA and not need-based since they're usually multiple years away from making the majors and needs will have changed by then.  That being said, of all the demographics in the draft I'd say a college C is easily the lowest of our needs and I'd be shocked and disappointed if we drafted one with our first pick.

[OsFanInOhio]

Lomavita and amick would be pretty underwhelming. Would like some more upside with at least one of the first two selections. 

[Just Regular]

I think the anecdote involves George Springer and Kyle Tucker that some of his Springer's teammates joked with him like "they just drafted your replacement" when Springer was just a few years into his career.

I guess by Sunday night when the Orioles pick Adley, Gunnar and Westburg will be getting settled into their All-Star game housing.    Corbin Burnes may or may not be going in on an AirBNB with them.

[Frobby]

I don’t know squat about Lomavita, but I’m not automatically against taking a catcher.  Almost any catcher takes 2-3 years to develop at least, so there’s no saying he overlaps with Adley unless Adley is extended.   He’d certainly overlap with Basallo, but we don’t know if Basallo will stick at C.

Anyway, I’m not getting worked up about mock drafts at no. 22.   Elias & co. will go their own direction and nobody knows what that will be.

[Three Run Homer]

Taking a catcher in the first round makes more sense if you're thinking about trading Basallo.

In any event, Elias likes players with plate discipline, so I'm skeptical that he would take Lomavita.